3 more babies die in Malda hospital,toll 18

Three more infants have died at the state-run Malda Medical College and Hospital taking the toll to 18 in the last four days,hospital sources said Saturday. All the three babies who died since Friday were underweight and had developed respiratory distress immediately after birth,the sources said. Fifteen new-born babies who were brought to the Malda Medical College and Hospital in a critical condition had died since Tuesday,the sources said. The critical cases were referred from various places in the district and other districts like Uttar Dinajpur,Murshidabad and neighbouring states like Bihar and Jharkhand. Earlier,during the four-day Durga pujas from October 11,17 newborn deaths were reported from state-run Bankura Sammilani Medical College and Hospital in Bankura district.